PWE prizes from bloggers

In my small corner of the hobby, not much beats a PWE from other bloggers.

I recently received two of them on the same day, which was surprising, as most PWEs nowadays are from the TCDB (a great place to trade if that's your sort of thing). While both appeared out of the blue, neither were necessarily 'just because.'

The first I opened was from Chris at The Collector. He held a PWE swap meet, where I sent him a random batch of basketball cards. In return, he sent me a Yankees themed PWE:

Very nice assortment. Older X-fractors still hold up. I also like the Goodwin Champions of Paul O'Neill and his big head. But my favorite card, not pictured above, was a cloth sticker from 2011 Lineage of A-Rod. Man, I really liked that set. If the cards had stats on the back it could have been an all-timer.

Thanks, Chris! Fun cards.

The other PWE was from Elliptical Man over at View From The Third Floor. I won his NFL Draft contest, and was awarded some auction points. He sent a note saying that he decided against an auction, so sent me a PWE of Yanks. No problem there!

Another really fun batch. A 1972 Topps Ron Blomberg?! Great card from a great set. That one takes the cake for me, although I liked the Gleyber inserts a lot too, as I'm still finishing that set.

Two excellent PWEs from two excellent bloggers. Thanks, guys!

Holiday PWEs > Holiday Cards

Over the past few weeks, holiday cards have been flooding in. Relatives and neighbors send family photos printed from Snapfish or Shutterfly, usually of photos taken from the fall at our local park. Some even include those letters about what the family has been up to this past year, which admittedly we usually mock. "Jim has taken up jigsaw puzzles during quarantine. Janie finally opened her Etsy shop. Suzie went to competitive cheer camp. Billy continues to play Fortnite and takes tuba lessons."

Each day, three or four cards grace our mailbox, but lately between the holiday greetings, I've found something even better.

PWEs!

I recently got four of them over the past few days, and I'll take those any day over the standard Christmas greetings.

The first is from Cards on Cards. I claimed a sweet Tee Higgins rookie card, which Kerry graciously set aside for me during one of his free card postings. Higgins has had a really good rookie year and developed a great rapport with Joe Burrow. He had a good shot at 1,000 yards before Burrow got hurt. He might still get there, but it'll be tougher now without a competent QB.

He also sent a few Yanks, my favorites which were some PINK cards of Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres. Panini would be kicking Topps butt with a license.

Next up was a very unique gift from Tom of Angels In Order, a long-time trading friend. Tom sent me a bunch of what I assume are TTMs from some very random mid-80s Yankees!

There was also a great Don Zimmer signed index card, and a small piece of paper with signatures from Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth!

Very cool stuff, Tom.

Third, Chris from The Collector and I exchanged PWEs. He was looking for some new football cards, so I shot him a random assortment. He hit me back with some Yankees, and some cards for my son's HOF binder! I always appreciate when people do that!

Lastly, Jay of Card Hemorrhage sent me a VERY packed PWE with all sorts of goodies. In addition to Yanks, Jay is always good for a surprise or two, whether it's other star players, cards from other sports, and more. 

The highlight for me was this Thurman Munson from 2020 Heritage:

This Jackie Robinson from 1986 Larry Fritsch Cards is very cool!

Here's a random assortment of what else Jay chucked my way.

Four really great PWEs from four really great bloggers. I'll take that any day over people I barely know!

Not a Pedestrian sized card

Yesterday I came home to a surprise PWE from just a few towns over from me. It was properly addressed, unlike the mysterious PWE from my previous post.

The return address was from Chris over at The Pedestrian Collector. We hadn't been working on a deal, so this was truly a random act of kindness.

The PWE contained one card...but a jumbo card. Literally.

While that might look like a normal card, it's actually a jumbo 3.5 x 5 card...so just a little bigger than an index card. Cool! This card is new to my collection, and is Tino #841 for me.

Collector's Choice was absolutely one of my favorite brands growing up, and it definitely takes me back each time I see that horizontal logo along the top of the card.

Thanks so much, Chris!

On The Cutting Edge

One of Napkin Doon's favorite sets of all-time is Topps HD. They were high-quality cards with a very premium-feeling, smooth card stock.

Recently, Chris from The (Pedestrian) Collector posted a few cards for trade, and when I saw this Derek Jeter Topps HD The Cutting Edge insert. When I saw it, I had to have it. I love finding Jeter inserts that don't pop up often, and this fit that category.

I expected the card to be a little brighter. It's kind of dark. But it does have that ultra smooth finish, and some very delicate, razor-sharp, diecut, Harry Potter-lightning bolt edges.

I sent Chris a few 2017 Heritage SPs in return for this awesome Jeter.

Chris was kind enough to send along nine HOF cards for my son's binder. Very much appreciated, Chris!

PWEs, I've missed you!

PWEs tend to come in bunches. Nothing for awhile, then Bam! Two in the span of two days. I love it.

First off, Oscar from All Trade Bait All The Time was kind enough to send one. I made a comment about a cool Brooks Robinson card he showed off, and Oscar, being the generous dude he is, sent me my own copy. Crazy! I never make comments like that thinking the card will end up with me, but nice people like Oscar go above and beyond.

And it is cool, right? There's just something about little Brooks with no one near him, committing robbery. Oscar filled the rest with some Yanks, including two personal favorites.

Next up, Chris from The Collector busted some serious Heritage, and set aside a few Yanks for me. I have to take inventory, but I must be close to the complete Yanks set, minus the SPs.

There was also a cool Jeter I didn't have.

Gentlemen, thanks for the PWEs. Much appreciated!

Simply the Finest

1993 Toops Finest.

I remember drooling over these cards as a youngster. I thumbed through magazines and looked at pictures of them, or looked at them behind the glass at my local shop. Those cards were not for me. I wanted them, but they were out of my league.

In 1994, I bought a grab bag at a card show with a '94 Finest Tom Glavine on top. I knew it wasn't 1993 Finest, but this is as close as I was going to come.

Years later, I did end up with that elusive 1993 Finest Mattingly. However, I eventually sent it elsewhere to a collector who would have valued it more than me. No regrets!

Well, thanks to Chris at The Collector, the 1993 Finest Mattingly once again sits in my collection.

Christ reached out a while back mentioning that he had the card, and I was excited to take it off his hands. He was also kind enough to send me a few other Yankees, including an equally cool Jorge Posada Bowman's Best RC. This too, was one of those shiny sets that always stood out.

There were also a few nice prospect cards to round out the package. While I was excited to get them (especially Kaprielian), those cards just don't move me the way these two legendary sets from the '90s do.

Thanks, Chris!